Holler...

…for a Marshall. This week saw the announcement of the imminent arrival into the NZ rugby ranks of one Benji Marshall. Once upon a time Marshall could do no wrong in the world of rugby league. He produced one of the most memorable NRL grand final moments of all time when in 2005 he broke clear of the defence before cheekily flicking the ball back inside to his winger, Pat Richards, who surged on to score the try as Benji’s beloved Tigers lifted the trophy.

He had an absolutely horrific run of injuries, mainly concerning a shoulder that would dislocate, be operated on then refuse to stay in its socket as soon as it was required for tackling duties again. But despite this, he eventually strengthened the shoulder and modified his tackling so he was able to continue his career.

And despite there being no repeat of that 2005 grand final success in the years since – in fact they are odds-on to take the wooden spoon this season – Marshall has always remained a key member of the Tigers and the Kiwis. He would often dictate how a game would be run and on more than one occasion he would seemingly win matches on his own.

But sometime in the last couple of years that has started to change. His unbelievable acceleration from a standing start has waned a little. The unreadable Benji sidestep that has embarrassed many-an-opponent isn’t quite as hard to read anymore. Some of this decline (if you can even call it that) may be down to age, although he’s only 28. Some of it may even be an accumulation of all those injuries and the week-in week-out battering that the NRL players take six months a year.

But I think a lot of it is to do with the mental side of things. Marshall is extremely well recompensed for his efforts. And fair enough. When it came time for Team Marshall to negotiate an extension to his contract that would have effectively made him a Tiger for life, the Tigers power-brokers agreed to an even more lucrative contract. Strangely, this was agreed with a hearty handshake rather than the more conventional piece of paper.

Then all of a sudden the leader of the Tigers pack was deposed, a new Big Cheese was appointed and the selection of a handshake rather than pen and paper did not seem such a wise decision. The contract extension/upgrade was denied. There’s no doubt this affected Marshall’s on-field performances and despite many glimpses of his brilliance in recent weeks, you couldn’t really argue that he’s the Benji of old.

So taking all this into consideration, will he be a success in the 15-man game? I respond with a ballsy resounding ‘YES’. As many others have suggested, I think he’ll develop into an excellent fullback.

Why do I think this? He’ll have a bit of time at the back, eventually he’ll chime into the backline with the grace and speed of Christian Cullen (I’m not comparing these two by the way – it’s just an analogy). His kicking in general play is good, and with the tutelage of kicking guru Mick Byrne will only get better, and he offers another option as a goalkicker. And he can tackle. Yes, he can. Although he’s not a defensive powerhouse, he’s no Quade Cooper in terms of defensive frailty either. So much of a fullback’s defensive work involves chasing down opposition attackers from behind or from the side as they scarper towards the line. But he’s a courageous tackler, so I think he’ll generally be OK with front-on tackling when required as well.

It’s a fairly significant financial outlay for the Blues franchise and the NZRU, even though Marshall is taking a sizeable salary cut to come home. But he’s a proud Kiwi, a supremely talented sportsman and he’ll put plenty of bums on seats when he plays. I think it’s a smart move for the Blues and for Marshall. As long as he remembers to release the ball on the ground I, for one, am looking forward to seeing him give Union a go.

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Ma’a Nonu?

Best in the world in his position? Probably.

Destructive player who demolishes opposing defences? Definitely.

Has improved his game over the years? Yes.

Is wanted by anyone? No.

It’s hard to work out what’s going to happen regarding the domestic playing future of Mr. Nonu. On his day he can single-handedly turn, and even win, a game. When his game was described as one dimensional and predictable he worked hard to develop his distribution and kicking skills. He’s had a mortgage on the All Black number 12 jersey for many years although it’s fair to say that SBW had probably become first-choice second-five by the time he temporarily left the game.

I don’t have any particular inside knowledge of what went down between Nonu and Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett. There have been plenty of rumours over the years about what a disruptive influence Nonu is in the dressing room and on the training paddock. He’s certainly made himself a few enemies including Hammett and others at the Canes. Blues coach Sir JK was another who Nonu offended; apparently the Blues had a verbal agreement and a Benji-Marshall-esque handshake with Nonu that he would play the 2013 Super Rugby season in Auckland, but Nonu decided to head south.

And finally the Highlanders were unable to tame the man. There were rumours of a clash with coach Jamie Joseph and eventually, despite the southerners initially being keen to retain Nonu, negotiations stalled.

Like the unpopular bully at school, it now seems nobody wants to eat their lunch with Ma’a Nonu. The Crusaders are happy with their current midfield back stocks, as are the Chiefs.  The Blues and Highlanders have now said they’ve been burnt once so are now not interested. Which leave the Hurricanes. Apparently Hammett and Nonu recently had yarn over a latte. And apparently Nonu wants to come home. And apparently Hammett has told NZRU CEO Steve Tew, who apparently asked the Canes to welcome him back into the fold, that he’s not interested in a tearful reunion. As you can tell from the number of instances I’ve had to use the word ‘apparently’, there isn’t a lot of information openly available.

What is the solution? Well I think Mark Hammett should book a table at Mojo in the Old Bank Arcade, sit down with Ma’a and spell out exactly how it’s going to work if he’s allowed to return. If Nonu agrees to the conditions they should then stand up, hug (or high five if they’d prefer) and move on to winning the 2014 Super 15.

If Sonny Bill Williams graces the NZ rugby public with his presence again next year, Nonu’s presence is less vital to the All Blacks than it would be if SBW decides to give Gaelic Football or premier league darts a go next year instead. But make no mistake, Nonu is still a class act on the field and is still an important part of the All Blacks machine. This situation needs to be resolved, and soon.

Americas Cup Update

Oh god, can someone make it stop?

I realise TVNZ must’ve entered into some sort of pricey sponsorship contract with this ‘sport’ but their dramatic live reporting of these ‘races’ is almost comedic. The way they desperately attempt to inject some excitement or tension is almost devoid of any sincerity.

To date: the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series was whittled down to just three challengers: Artemis, Luna Rossa and Emirates Toyota Fisher & Paykel TVNZ Watties New Zealand Government Team New Zealand. All other potential syndicates regained their sanity, realised it is bizarrely expensive and silly, packed up their sailboats and went home.

In the first ‘round’ Artemis didn’t feel like racing, so stayed indoors. Luna Rossa came out to play once or twice, but overall [Insert Sponsor Here] Team New Zealand just played on the ocean by themselves and qualified for the “final” by default.

Then came the “semi-finals”. TVNZ ended the Breakfast programme early so they could take in live coverage. Artemis had qualified for the semis by actually showing up and filling in a form several weeks earlier but had not actually “sailed” in this regatta. According to Martin Tasker of One News, Luna Rossa were the hot favourites and they just couldn’t see Artemis being competitive. Great advertisement for the upcoming viewing.

As the race started Artemis raced away from Luna Rossa across the start line. The commentator was astounded and sounded like he needed a lie down. However as Luna Rossa raced into the lead a short time later, Artemis looked like it had forgotten to pull up its anchor. Luna Rossa won that race, and the three subsequent jaunts, by margins of about a week. So Artemis, which had lost crew member Andrew Simpson, who was tragically killed in a warm-up race, has spent $120 million, raced four times in this event and is off home. Why bother?

Now Luna Rossa are into the optimistically-titled ‘final’ against [Insert Sponsor Here] Team New Zealand. Unless all water is drained from the ocean, Luna Rossa will lose and Team NZ will contest the final final super grand finale (or whatever it’s called) against cup-holders Team Oracle. And I wonder if anyone outside of big business actually cares.

Till next time,

SG